Chapter 44
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However, this second attack allowed the bearded man to see where the attacks were coming from, raising his shield he began to bellow orders to his remaining companions, "There's an archer shooting from the tunnel we emerged from. It's likely to be them. Remember why we're here, this is our chance for revenge! Fighters with me to the front, keep your shields up. Archers, lay down suppressing fire so that we can advance. Move!"
Hurrying to obey his orders, the other three fighters rushed to the front, those with shields forming a crude shield wall as they began to press forward, quickly covering the forty meters between them and the tunnel entrance. Unfortunately for the archers, their aim in the darkness wasn't great, and the rough shield wall did little to hinder the arrows that tore through the air of the cave, never failing to find new bits of exposed flesh to embed themselves in. With a cry an archer fell as an arrow penetrated his chest, leaving only two archers and the four fighters to fight their mysterious opponents.
Fortunately, the fighters had now reached the tunnel entrance. Jumping into the tunnel, the first fighters eyes widened as he beheld Jun standing there with an arrow nocked to his bow. Attempting to raise his shield, the fighter was too slow, falling backwards as an arrow slammed into this throat, taking a large chunk out of the man's healthbar and silencing his cry. Elbowing the falling fighter aside, another fighter jumped into the tunnel, "It's them!" he shouted excitedly, bringing his shield up and blocking the arrow that came flying towards him, charging towards Jun as he groped for another arrow.
Jumping backwards, Jun nocked another arrow to his bow as Gio charged past, using Shield Bash to slam his shield into the fighter's exposed stomach, sending him flying back into the group of players milling outside. Raising his shield, Gio crouched down, blocking two arrows that came whizzing over the heads of the opposing fighters.
"Out of the way," the bearded man snarled, shoving one of the fighters aside as he stepped into the tunnel. Dodging Jun's arrow, he raised his sword in a two handed grip, battering at Gio's shield. Attempting to raise his sword to repel the man, Gio was forced to abandon the idea as another arrow came flying at his exposed side. Wrenching his shield back into place to receive the arrow, he was forced to retreat, first one step, then another, slowly retreating towards Juns position.
The bearded man's eyes glinted, only a few more steps and the tank would be in a section of the tunnel wide enough for three men to attack side by side. At that point, the battle would be theirs. Ducking another arrow, he continued to pressure Gio backwards, using the fighter as a human shield against Jun's arrows, his sword hacking down repeatedly, using ferocity to make up for what he lacked in technique and fluidity.
As Gio approached the section where the tunnel widened Jun grinned at Ryan, "You ready?"
"I'm going to go take out the trash, be right back," Ryan responded, flashing a grin back. Jun laughed, "Don't fuck up."
"I won't. No worries," Ryan promised, grabbing the dagger from his thigh and wielding it in his left hand.
As Gio stepped into the wider part of the tunnel, Ryan launched himself into action. Leaping on a rock jutting out of the side of the tunnel, he threw himself up and over the bearded man who gaped as he watched the swordsman fly over his head.
"Stop him!" the bearded man roared, turning to strike at Ryan as he landed and rolled past an approaching fighter.
"Watch where you're looking," a cold voice told him. With a hollow sound, the metal boss of Gio's shield slammed into the side of the bearded man, stunning him briefly as Gio's sword flashed, shaving off a part of the man's healthbar.
Completing his roll, Ryan reversed his grip on the dagger, burying it into the hamstring of a warrior who was too slow to react. Yanking the dagger out, he darted towards the surprised archers, both of whom had their bows lowered as they looked for a good shot past the bearded man.
Taken by surprise at Ryan's sudden appearance, the archers were too slow to react as he darted towards them. Raising their bows, the archers attempted to get off a desperate shot as Ryan approached. Seeing this, Ryan fell into a slide, the arrows passing harmlessly overhead and slamming into the shield of one of their allies who'd attempted to follow Ryan as he passed. Stumbling backwards, the swordsman glared at the archers, unfortunately they were far too busy to notice as Ryan came out of his slide, his sword and dagger flashing repeatedly as he slashed at the two ranged fighters, taking huge chunks out of their healthbars.
Jumping apart, the archers attempted to put distance between themselves and the agile swordsman, while the fighter who'd glared at them charged over to help, his companion moving to reinforce the bearded man engaging Gio and Jun in the tunnel.
Following the archer with less health, Ryan didn't let up, his sword and dagger creating a blur of iron as he cut at the fleeing ranger. With a desparate cry, the archer fell, his arrows tumbling out of his quiver and scattering across the rocky cave floor. With a roar the fighter finally reached Ryan, raising his shield to bash at the pesky swordsman. Dodging aside, Ryan buried his dagger in the man's side, eliciting another roar, this one more primal than the previous one.
Grinning, Ryan bounced lightly on his feet, circling the fighter and awaiting an opportunity to attack. Checking the position of the archer, he strafed left, allowing an arrow to clatter harmlessly off a nearby stalagmite, chunks of limestone falling to the floor as the arrow left a small crater in the rock.
Seizing the opportunity, the fighter swung his sword at the swordsman, using a sweeping motion to prevent another sideways dodge. Jumping backwards, Ryan grinned at the swordsman, allowing the tip of the sword to pass within a foot of his chest. As the sword passed, he charged back in, raising his sword high to bait the fighter into raising his shield. As the fighter reacted to his swing, he brought his dagger up to strike at the man's now exposed ribs.
Jumping back once more to avoid the fighter's followup shield bash, Ryan winced, looking down at the arrow that had just embedded itself in his side. Ducking under the fighter's sword, he thrust his sword at the man's face, forcing him to raise his shield to defend himself.
Remembering a piece of advice Jun had given him the day before, Ryan kicked at the fighter's leg, forcing him down to one knee. Seizing the advantage, Ryan pressed the assault, his twin blades falling upon the man's upturned shield, slowly forcing it away from his body. Hacking down at the exposed tunic, Ryan was rewarded with a chunk of the man's hitpoints. Raising his dagger, he prepared to take off another portion when another arrow sped towards him, attempting to dodge, Ryan's foot landed on a cluster of arrows scattered along the ground which rolled out from under his boot.
Losing his balance, Ryan fell heavily to the ground, the wind whooshing out of him. Not missing this chance, the fighter regained his feet and dashed towards him, his sword held in a reverse grip ready to impale the annoying swordsman to the cave floor.
Seeing the man charging towards him, Ryan attempted to jump to his feet, but a glint in the dim light of the cave caused him to abandon the idea, rolling desperately to the side as another arrow slammed into the spot he'd occupied only a moment before.
Unable to regain his feet, Ryan was forced to bring his blades up in a defensive posture, prepared to receive the fighter's sword. Checking his healthbar he grimaced, there was a very good chance that this could kill him. Reckless play was fun, but he hadn't thought that players at this level would be responsible for his first death.
Jumping into the air, the fighter held his sword in a reverse grip, intent on driving the sword straight through the downed swordsman. So intent was he on his task that he failed to notice the arrow speeding through the air. With a soft piercing sound, the arrow buried itself in his skull, taking off the remainder of his hitpoints. Still midleap, the fighter's form faltered, the blade and shield falling as his body fell across Ryan, whose blades were still held high, ready to receive an attack that would never come.
The remaining archer's eyes widened as he watched his companion fall. Glancing towards the tunnel, he watched as Gio charged towards him, Jun leaping out from behind the charging shieldbearer to snipe at the archer. Grabbing for an arrow, the archer attempted to nock it to his bow. Unfortunately, Jun was far faster, his arrow leaping through the air like a viper to bite at the man's throat. With a gurgling sound the archer fell to his knees, the last of his healthbar disappearing as he collapsed to the cave floor.
With that the fight was over, shoving the fighter's corpse off of him, Ryan hauled himself to his feet.
"Took you long enough," he said sarcastically. Jun shrugged at this, "We were busy. If Gio hadn't missed his attacks so much we'd have been here faster."
"Hey! I had my hands full keeping them from charging you!" Gio protested. Jun laughed, "Yeah you did pretty well. Good job Gio," he said, giving Gio an exaggerated thumbs up. Gio twisted his hands awkwardly, "I can't tell if you're being serious."
"Nah you did good, Ryan would've been fucked if you hadn't shield bashed that guy."
"True, I didn't expect him to be able to react to my jump. He was way easier to kill yesterday," Ryan spoke up, "But yeah. You did good Gio."
"Thanks. I think."
Ryan laughed, "Has Jun really traumatized you so badly you can't take a compliment?"
It was Gio's turn to laugh. Jun said nothing, merely looking away innocently as Ryan grinned at him. Looking up at the two Gio smiled awkwardly, "Nah. It's just that I didn't feel like I did much. I just did what you asked."
Jun snorted, "That's a real skill right there. If Eric did what I asked more often we wouldn't have so many problems in matches. You too Ryan now that I think about it. Don't think I've forgotten that you left us all to die so you could farm bot last week."
Ignoring Jun's accusation Ryan looked at Gio, "He's right. All we needed was for you to be the tank. But that doesn't mean it's easy. You did good man."
"Thanks," Gio replied, looking down to hide his growing smile.
Looking at the carnage around them, Ryan sighed, "Maybe Mark has a point. You guys wanna lay low down here for a while? Just grind out some levels without killing anyone?"
Jun laughed, "Sure. But if they come back we're killing them again. I can't afford Amozon Prime. I aint refusing free item delivery."
This elicited laughs from Ryan and Gio. With large smirks, the trio set to looting the corpses.
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However, this second attack allowed the bearded man to see where the attacks were coming from, raising his shield he began to bellow orders to his remaining companions, "There's an archer shooting from the tunnel we emerged from. It's likely to be them. Remember why we're here, this is our chance for revenge! Fighters with me to the front, keep your shields up. Archers, lay down suppressing fire so that we can advance. Move!"
Hurrying to obey his orders, the other three fighters rushed to the front, those with shields forming a crude shield wall as they began to press forward, quickly covering the forty meters between them and the tunnel entrance. Unfortunately for the archers, their aim in the darkness wasn't great, and the rough shield wall did little to hinder the arrows that tore through the air of the cave, never failing to find new bits of exposed flesh to embed themselves in. With a cry an archer fell as an arrow penetrated his chest, leaving only two archers and the four fighters to fight their mysterious opponents.
Fortunately, the fighters had now reached the tunnel entrance. Jumping into the tunnel, the first fighters eyes widened as he beheld Jun standing there with an arrow nocked to his bow. Attempting to raise his shield, the fighter was too slow, falling backwards as an arrow slammed into this throat, taking a large chunk out of the man's healthbar and silencing his cry. Elbowing the falling fighter aside, another fighter jumped into the tunnel, "It's them!" he shouted excitedly, bringing his shield up and blocking the arrow that came flying towards him, charging towards Jun as he groped for another arrow.
Jumping backwards, Jun nocked another arrow to his bow as Gio charged past, using Shield Bash to slam his shield into the fighter's exposed stomach, sending him flying back into the group of players milling outside. Raising his shield, Gio crouched down, blocking two arrows that came whizzing over the heads of the opposing fighters.
"Out of the way," the bearded man snarled, shoving one of the fighters aside as he stepped into the tunnel. Dodging Jun's arrow, he raised his sword in a two handed grip, battering at Gio's shield. Attempting to raise his sword to repel the man, Gio was forced to abandon the idea as another arrow came flying at his exposed side. Wrenching his shield back into place to receive the arrow, he was forced to retreat, first one step, then another, slowly retreating towards Juns position.
The bearded man's eyes glinted, only a few more steps and the tank would be in a section of the tunnel wide enough for three men to attack side by side. At that point, the battle would be theirs. Ducking another arrow, he continued to pressure Gio backwards, using the fighter as a human shield against Jun's arrows, his sword hacking down repeatedly, using ferocity to make up for what he lacked in technique and fluidity.
As Gio approached the section where the tunnel widened Jun grinned at Ryan, "You ready?"
"I'm going to go take out the trash, be right back," Ryan responded, flashing a grin back. Jun laughed, "Don't fuck up."
"I won't. No worries," Ryan promised, grabbing the dagger from his thigh and wielding it in his left hand.
As Gio stepped into the wider part of the tunnel, Ryan launched himself into action. Leaping on a rock jutting out of the side of the tunnel, he threw himself up and over the bearded man who gaped as he watched the swordsman fly over his head.
"Stop him!" the bearded man roared, turning to strike at Ryan as he landed and rolled past an approaching fighter.
"Watch where you're looking," a cold voice told him. With a hollow sound, the metal boss of Gio's shield slammed into the side of the bearded man, stunning him briefly as Gio's sword flashed, shaving off a part of the man's healthbar.
Completing his roll, Ryan reversed his grip on the dagger, burying it into the hamstring of a warrior who was too slow to react. Yanking the dagger out, he darted towards the surprised archers, both of whom had their bows lowered as they looked for a good shot past the bearded man.
Taken by surprise at Ryan's sudden appearance, the archers were too slow to react as he darted towards them. Raising their bows, the archers attempted to get off a desperate shot as Ryan approached. Seeing this, Ryan fell into a slide, the arrows passing harmlessly overhead and slamming into the shield of one of their allies who'd attempted to follow Ryan as he passed. Stumbling backwards, the swordsman glared at the archers, unfortunately they were far too busy to notice as Ryan came out of his slide, his sword and dagger flashing repeatedly as he slashed at the two ranged fighters, taking huge chunks out of their healthbars.
Jumping apart, the archers attempted to put distance between themselves and the agile swordsman, while the fighter who'd glared at them charged over to help, his companion moving to reinforce the bearded man engaging Gio and Jun in the tunnel.
Following the archer with less health, Ryan didn't let up, his sword and dagger creating a blur of iron as he cut at the fleeing ranger. With a desparate cry, the archer fell, his arrows tumbling out of his quiver and scattering across the rocky cave floor. With a roar the fighter finally reached Ryan, raising his shield to bash at the pesky swordsman. Dodging aside, Ryan buried his dagger in the man's side, eliciting another roar, this one more primal than the previous one.
Grinning, Ryan bounced lightly on his feet, circling the fighter and awaiting an opportunity to attack. Checking the position of the archer, he strafed left, allowing an arrow to clatter harmlessly off a nearby stalagmite, chunks of limestone falling to the floor as the arrow left a small crater in the rock.
Seizing the opportunity, the fighter swung his sword at the swordsman, using a sweeping motion to prevent another sideways dodge. Jumping backwards, Ryan grinned at the swordsman, allowing the tip of the sword to pass within a foot of his chest. As the sword passed, he charged back in, raising his sword high to bait the fighter into raising his shield. As the fighter reacted to his swing, he brought his dagger up to strike at the man's now exposed ribs.
Jumping back once more to avoid the fighter's followup shield bash, Ryan winced, looking down at the arrow that had just embedded itself in his side. Ducking under the fighter's sword, he thrust his sword at the man's face, forcing him to raise his shield to defend himself.
Remembering a piece of advice Jun had given him the day before, Ryan kicked at the fighter's leg, forcing him down to one knee. Seizing the advantage, Ryan pressed the assault, his twin blades falling upon the man's upturned shield, slowly forcing it away from his body. Hacking down at the exposed tunic, Ryan was rewarded with a chunk of the man's hitpoints. Raising his dagger, he prepared to take off another portion when another arrow sped towards him, attempting to dodge, Ryan's foot landed on a cluster of arrows scattered along the ground which rolled out from under his boot.
Losing his balance, Ryan fell heavily to the ground, the wind whooshing out of him. Not missing this chance, the fighter regained his feet and dashed towards him, his sword held in a reverse grip ready to impale the annoying swordsman to the cave floor.
Seeing the man charging towards him, Ryan attempted to jump to his feet, but a glint in the dim light of the cave caused him to abandon the idea, rolling desperately to the side as another arrow slammed into the spot he'd occupied only a moment before.
Unable to regain his feet, Ryan was forced to bring his blades up in a defensive posture, prepared to receive the fighter's sword. Checking his healthbar he grimaced, there was a very good chance that this could kill him. Reckless play was fun, but he hadn't thought that players at this level would be responsible for his first death.
Jumping into the air, the fighter held his sword in a reverse grip, intent on driving the sword straight through the downed swordsman. So intent was he on his task that he failed to notice the arrow speeding through the air. With a soft piercing sound, the arrow buried itself in his skull, taking off the remainder of his hitpoints. Still midleap, the fighter's form faltered, the blade and shield falling as his body fell across Ryan, whose blades were still held high, ready to receive an attack that would never come.
The remaining archer's eyes widened as he watched his companion fall. Glancing towards the tunnel, he watched as Gio charged towards him, Jun leaping out from behind the charging shieldbearer to snipe at the archer. Grabbing for an arrow, the archer attempted to nock it to his bow. Unfortunately, Jun was far faster, his arrow leaping through the air like a viper to bite at the man's throat. With a gurgling sound the archer fell to his knees, the last of his healthbar disappearing as he collapsed to the cave floor.
With that the fight was over, shoving the fighter's corpse off of him, Ryan hauled himself to his feet.
"Took you long enough," he said sarcastically. Jun shrugged at this, "We were busy. If Gio hadn't missed his attacks so much we'd have been here faster."
"Hey! I had my hands full keeping them from charging you!" Gio protested. Jun laughed, "Yeah you did pretty well. Good job Gio," he said, giving Gio an exaggerated thumbs up. Gio twisted his hands awkwardly, "I can't tell if you're being serious."
"Nah you did good, Ryan would've been fucked if you hadn't shield bashed that guy."
"True, I didn't expect him to be able to react to my jump. He was way easier to kill yesterday," Ryan spoke up, "But yeah. You did good Gio."
"Thanks. I think."
Ryan laughed, "Has Jun really traumatized you so badly you can't take a compliment?"
It was Gio's turn to laugh. Jun said nothing, merely looking away innocently as Ryan grinned at him. Looking up at the two Gio smiled awkwardly, "Nah. It's just that I didn't feel like I did much. I just did what you asked."
Jun snorted, "That's a real skill right there. If Eric did what I asked more often we wouldn't have so many problems in matches. You too Ryan now that I think about it. Don't think I've forgotten that you left us all to die so you could farm bot last week."
Ignoring Jun's accusation Ryan looked at Gio, "He's right. All we needed was for you to be the tank. But that doesn't mean it's easy. You did good man."
"Thanks," Gio replied, looking down to hide his growing smile.
Looking at the carnage around them, Ryan sighed, "Maybe Mark has a point. You guys wanna lay low down here for a while? Just grind out some levels without killing anyone?"
Jun laughed, "Sure. But if they come back we're killing them again. I can't afford Amozon Prime. I aint refusing free item delivery."
This elicited laughs from Ryan and Gio. With large smirks, the trio set to looting the corpses.
However, this second attack allowed the bearded man to see where the attacks were coming from, raising his shield he began to bellow orders to his remaining companions, "There's an archer shooting from the tunnel we emerged from. It's likely to be them. Remember why we're here, this is our chance for revenge! Fighters with me to the front, keep your shields up. Archers, lay down suppressing fire so that we can advance. Move!"Hurrying to obey his orders, the other three fighters rushed to the front, those with shields forming a crude shield wall as they began to press forward, quickly covering the forty meters between them and the tunnel entrance. Unfortunately for the archers, their aim in the darkness wasn't great, and the rough shield wall did little to hinder the arrows that tore through the air of the cave, never failing to find new bits of exposed flesh to embed themselves in. With a cry an archer fell as an arrow penetrated his chest, leaving only two archers and the four fighters to fight their mysterious opponents.Fortunately, the fighters had now reached the tunnel entrance. Jumping into the tunnel, the first fighters eyes widened as he beheld Jun standing there with an arrow nocked to his bow. Attempting to raise his shield, the fighter was too slow, falling backwards as an arrow slammed into this throat, taking a large chunk out of the man's healthbar and silencing his cry. Elbowing the falling fighter aside, another fighter jumped into the tunnel, "It's them!" he shouted excitedly, bringing his shield up and blocking the arrow that came flying towards him, charging towards Jun as he groped for another arrow.Jumping backwards, Jun nocked another arrow to his bow as Gio charged past, using Shield Bash to slam his shield into the fighter's exposed stomach, sending him flying back into the group of players milling outside. Raising his shield, Gio crouched down, blocking two arrows that came whizzing over the heads of the opposing fighters."Out of the way," the bearded man snarled, shoving one of the fighters aside as he stepped into the tunnel. Dodging Jun's arrow, he raised his sword in a two handed grip, battering at Gio's shield. Attempting to raise his sword to repel the man, Gio was forced to abandon the idea as another arrow came flying at his exposed side. Wrenching his shield back into place to receive the arrow, he was forced to retreat, first one step, then another, slowly retreating towards Juns position.The bearded man's eyes glinted, only a few more steps and the tank would be in a section of the tunnel wide enough for three men to attack side by side. At that point, the battle would be theirs. Ducking another arrow, he continued to pressure Gio backwards, using the fighter as a human shield against Jun's arrows, his sword hacking down repeatedly, using ferocity to make up for what he lacked in technique and fluidity.As Gio approached the section where the tunnel widened Jun grinned at Ryan, "You ready?""I'm going to go take out the trash, be right back," Ryan responded, flashing a grin back. Jun laughed, "Don't fuck up.""I won't. No worries," Ryan promised, grabbing the dagger from his thigh and wielding it in his left hand.As Gio stepped into the wider part of the tunnel, Ryan launched himself into action. Leaping on a rock jutting out of the side of the tunnel, he threw himself up and over the bearded man who gaped as he watched the swordsman fly over his head."Stop him!" the bearded man roared, turning to strike at Ryan as he landed and rolled past an approaching fighter."Watch where you're looking," a cold voice told him. With a hollow sound, the metal boss of Gio's shield slammed into the side of the bearded man, stunning him briefly as Gio's sword flashed, shaving off a part of the man's healthbar.Completing his roll, Ryan reversed his grip on the dagger, burying it into the hamstring of a warrior who was too slow to react. Yanking the dagger out, he darted towards the surprised archers, both of whom had their bows lowered as they looked for a good shot past the bearded man.Taken by surprise at Ryan's sudden appearance, the archers were too slow to react as he darted towards them. Raising their bows, the archers attempted to get off a desperate shot as Ryan approached. Seeing this, Ryan fell into a slide, the arrows passing harmlessly overhead and slamming into the shield of one of their allies who'd attempted to follow Ryan as he passed. Stumbling backwards, the swordsman glared at the archers, unfortunately they were far too busy to notice as Ryan came out of his slide, his sword and dagger flashing repeatedly as he slashed at the two ranged fighters, taking huge chunks out of their healthbars.Jumping apart, the archers attempted to put distance between themselves and the agile swordsman, while the fighter who'd glared at them charged over to help, his companion moving to reinforce the bearded man engaging Gio and Jun in the tunnel.Following the archer with less health, Ryan didn't let up, his sword and dagger creating a blur of iron as he cut at the fleeing ranger. With a desparate cry, the archer fell, his arrows tumbling out of his quiver and scattering across the rocky cave floor. With a roar the fighter finally reached Ryan, raising his shield to bash at the pesky swordsman. Dodging aside, Ryan buried his dagger in the man's side, eliciting another roar, this one more primal than the previous one.Grinning, Ryan bounced lightly on his feet, circling the fighter and awaiting an opportunity to attack. Checking the position of the archer, he strafed left, allowing an arrow to clatter harmlessly off a nearby stalagmite, chunks of limestone falling to the floor as the arrow left a small crater in the rock.Seizing the opportunity, the fighter swung his sword at the swordsman, using a sweeping motion to prevent another sideways dodge. Jumping backwards, Ryan grinned at the swordsman, allowing the tip of the sword to pass within a foot of his chest. As the sword passed, he charged back in, raising his sword high to bait the fighter into raising his shield. As the fighter reacted to his swing, he brought his dagger up to strike at the man's now exposed ribs.Jumping back once more to avoid the fighter's followup shield bash, Ryan winced, looking down at the arrow that had just embedded itself in his side. Ducking under the fighter's sword, he thrust his sword at the man's face, forcing him to raise his shield to defend himself.Remembering a piece of advice Jun had given him the day before, Ryan kicked at the fighter's leg, forcing him down to one knee. Seizing the advantage, Ryan pressed the assault, his twin blades falling upon the man's upturned shield, slowly forcing it away from his body. Hacking down at the exposed tunic, Ryan was rewarded with a chunk of the man's hitpoints. Raising his dagger, he prepared to take off another portion when another arrow sped towards him, attempting to dodge, Ryan's foot landed on a cluster of arrows scattered along the ground which rolled out from under his boot.Losing his balance, Ryan fell heavily to the ground, the wind whooshing out of him. Not missing this chance, the fighter regained his feet and dashed towards him, his sword held in a reverse grip ready to impale the annoying swordsman to the cave floor.Seeing the man charging towards him, Ryan attempted to jump to his feet, but a glint in the dim light of the cave caused him to abandon the idea, rolling desperately to the side as another arrow slammed into the spot he'd occupied only a moment before.Unable to regain his feet, Ryan was forced to bring his blades up in a defensive posture, prepared to receive the fighter's sword. Checking his healthbar he grimaced, there was a very good chance that this could kill him. Reckless play was fun, but he hadn't thought that players at this level would be responsible for his first death.Jumping into the air, the fighter held his sword in a reverse grip, intent on driving the sword straight through the downed swordsman. So intent was he on his task that he failed to notice the arrow speeding through the air. With a soft piercing sound, the arrow buried itself in his skull, taking off the remainder of his hitpoints. Still midleap, the fighter's form faltered, the blade and shield falling as his body fell across Ryan, whose blades were still held high, ready to receive an attack that would never come.The remaining archer's eyes widened as he watched his companion fall. Glancing towards the tunnel, he watched as Gio charged towards him, Jun leaping out from behind the charging shieldbearer to snipe at the archer. Grabbing for an arrow, the archer attempted to nock it to his bow. Unfortunately, Jun was far faster, his arrow leaping through the air like a viper to bite at the man's throat. With a gurgling sound the archer fell to his knees, the last of his healthbar disappearing as he collapsed to the cave floor.With that the fight was over, shoving the fighter's corpse off of him, Ryan hauled himself to his feet."Took you long enough," he said sarcastically. Jun shrugged at this, "We were busy. If Gio hadn't missed his attacks so much we'd have been here faster.""Hey! I had my hands full keeping them from charging you!" Gio protested. Jun laughed, "Yeah you did pretty well. Good job Gio," he said, giving Gio an exaggerated thumbs up. Gio twisted his hands awkwardly, "I can't tell if you're being serious.""Nah you did good, Ryan would've been fucked if you hadn't shield bashed that guy.""True, I didn't expect him to be able to react to my jump. He was way easier to kill yesterday," Ryan spoke up, "But yeah. You did good Gio.""Thanks. I think."Ryan laughed, "Has Jun really traumatized you so badly you can't take a compliment?"It was Gio's turn to laugh. Jun said nothing, merely looking away innocently as Ryan grinned at him. Looking up at the two Gio smiled awkwardly, "Nah. It's just that I didn't feel like I did much. I just did what you asked."Jun snorted, "That's a real skill right there. If Eric did what I asked more often we wouldn't have so many problems in matches. You too Ryan now that I think about it. Don't think I've forgotten that you left us all to die so you could farm bot last week."Ignoring Jun's accusation Ryan looked at Gio, "He's right. All we needed was for you to be the tank. But that doesn't mean it's easy. You did good man.""Thanks," Gio replied, looking down to hide his growing smile.Looking at the carnage around them, Ryan sighed, "Maybe Mark has a point. You guys wanna lay low down here for a while? Just grind out some levels without killing anyone?"Jun laughed, "Sure. But if they come back we're killing them again. I can't afford Amozon Prime. I aint refusing free item delivery."This elicited laughs from Ryan and Gio. With large smirks, the trio set to looting the corpses.
